Combination lid and stand for paper cups



June 25, 1963 H. R. HAWLEY COMBINATION LID AND STAND FOR PAPER CUPSFiled June 27, 1961 m? M E W 2. W M w w B United States Patent 015 ice3,095,132 Patented June 25, 1963 Lombard, 111., assignor to Solo CupCompany, (Zhicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Filed June 27, 1961,Ser. No. 119,982 2 Claims. (Cl. 229-45) Harry R. Hawiey,

This invention relates to paper cups or similar expendable receptaclesmade of thin sheet material.

One object of the present invention is to provide a new and improveddevice adapted to serve as either a lid or a stand for a paper cup ofthe type having a flat bottom and a downwardly tapering frusto-conicalside wall.

A further object is to provide a new and improved combination lid andstand in the form of a circular disk having a depending peripheralflange for reception around the upper end of the paper cup, an annulardownwardly projecting rib adjacent the flange for reception within theupper end of the cup, and an upwardly projecting circular portion forsnug reception within the recess at the lower end of the cup.

Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a combinationlid and stand which will be frictionally retained on the lower end ofthe cup when the cup is pushed downwardly over the upwardly projectingcircular portion of the stand.

A further object is to provide a new and improved device which may beemployed as a lid for a paper cup, or as a stand to support a cup on atray or the like, or as both a lid and stand simultaneously, when onecup is stacked on another.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will appear fromthe following description, taken with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a combination lid and stand to bedescribed as an illustrative embodiment of the present invention, theembodiment being shown on the upper end of a paper cup to illustrate theuse of the embodiment as a lid.

FIG. 2 is a central elevational section showing the embodiment in placeunder the lower end of a paper cup to illustrate the use of theembodiment as a stand.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the combination lid and stand.

FIG. 4 is a greatly enlarged fragmentary sectional view showing theengagement between the embodiment and the upper end of a paper cup whenthe embodiment is being used as a lid.

FIG. 5 is a greatly enlarged fragmentary section showing the engagementbetween the embodiment and the lower end of the cup when the embodimentis being used as a stand.

It will be seen that the drawings illustrate a combination deviceadapted to serve as either a lid or a stand for a paper cup 12 of thetype having a downwardly tapering frusto-conical side wall 14. The lowerend of the side wall 14 is closed by a flat circular bottom wall 16which is spaced upwardly from the lower edge of the side wall so as toform a circular recess 18 in the lower end of the cup. The upper end ofthe side wall 14 may be curled to form an outwardly projecting annularbead 20 which reinforces the mouth of the paper cup. As shown toadvantage in FIG. 5, the bottom wall 16 may have a downwardly projectingflange 22 which may interlock with an inturned, upwardly projectingflange 24 on the side wall 14. The cup 12 may be made of paper or anyother suitable sheet material, such as various plastics.

It will be seen that the combination lid and stand 10 takes the form ofa thin circular disk 30 made of a sheet material, which may be paper,but preferably is a suitable plastic, such as polystyrene, polyethyleneor the like.

The disk is formed with a downwardly projecting annular flange 32 whichextends around the periphery of the disk and is adapted to be snuglyreceived around the bead 20 at the upper end of the paper cup. Theillustrated flange 32 is formed with an inwardly projecting bead orridge 34 adapted to interlock with the head 20 on the paper cup. Belowthe ridge 34, the flange 32 has an outwardly flaring portion 36 whichfacilitates the mounting of the lid on the paper cup. An outwardlyprojecting horizontal portion 38 is formed on the extreme lower end ofthe flange 32 and is adapted to rest upon a tray, counter or othersupporting surface when the device of the present invention is beingemployed as a stand.

Where the flange 32 joins with the disk 30, the device 10 is formed withan annular head 40 having a cross section which extends through thegreater portion of a circle. When the device 10 is used as a lid,thebead 40 is adapted to receive the head 20 on the paper cup.

At the inner margin of the head 40, the device 10 is formed with adownwardly projecting annular rib 42 adapted to be received within theupper end of the paper cup. The inner margin of the head 40 forms theouter margin of the rib 42.

At a substantially smaller diameter than the rib 42, the device 10 isformed with an upwardly facing channel 44 adapted to receive the lowerend of the side Wall 14 of the paper cup when the device 10 is employedas a stand. At the inner margin of the channel 44 the device 10 isformed with an upwardly projecting circular portion 46 adapted to besnugly received within the recess 18 at the lower end of the paper cup.Thus, the upwardly projecting circular portion 46 may be frictionallyretained within the lower end of the side wall 14 as shown to advantagein FIG. 5. The circular portion has an outer, generally cylindrical wall48 which also forms the inner wall of the channel 44.

One or more vent openings 50 may be formed in the portion of the disk 30which extends between the channel 44 and the rib 42, so as to preventthe formation of a vacuum under the device 10 when it is resting upon awet tray or other supporting surface. Such vacuum might tend to causethe combination lid and stand to adhere to the supporting surface. Theopenings 50 are of an extremely small size so that they will not permitany substantial leakage when the device is used as a lid.

The lid has a depressed central portion 52 which tapers downwardly. Itwill be seen that the depressed portion 52 is formed in the center ofthe raised portion 46.

The device 10 may he used as a lid for a paper cup or the like, as shownin FIGS. 1 and 4. For this use, the device is pushed downwardly over thetop of the paper cup and is retained by the engagement between theflange 32 and the head 20.

FIGS. 2 and 5 illustrate the use of the device 10 as a stand for thepaper cup. For this use, the lower end of the cup is pushed into thechannel 44 so that the upwardly projecting circular portion 46 of thedevice will be frictionally retained within the recess 18 at the lowerend of the cup. Thus, the device may be used to stabilize the cup whenit is standing on a tray or other supporting surface.

Of course, the device 10 may be used simultaneously as a lid for one cupand a stand for another, when the cups are stacked. This use isillustrated in FIG. 2, in which the outline of the lower cup is shown inbroken lines.

The lids themselves may be stacked, one upon another, in a stablemanner, for shipment, storage or the like. When the lids are stacked,the flaring flange 36 on each lid nests over the bead 40 on the lidbelow. The raised portions 46 and the depressed central portions 52 ofthe stacked lids also nest and assist in maintaining the lids incentered alignment in the stack. Thus, it is easy to handle and countthe stacked lids by mechanical means.

The combination lid and stand of the present invention is extremelyeffective and convenient, yet is easy to manufacture and low in cost. 1

Various other modifications, alternative constructions and equivalentsmay be employed without departing from the true spirit and scope of theinvention, as defined in the following claims and exemplified in theforegoing description.

I claim:

1. A combination lid and stand for a paper cup of the type having adownwardly tapering frusto-conical side wall closed by a bottom wallwhich is spaced upwardly from the lower edge of the side wall so as toform a recess in the bottom of the paper cup, said combination lid andstand comprising a circular disk having a downwardly projecting annularflange extending around the periphery thereof for snug reception aroundthe upper end of the paper cup, said disk having an upwardly projectingcircular portion formed thereon for snug reception and frictionalretention within the recess in the lower end ofthe cup, said upwardlyprojecting circular portion being substantially smaller in diameter thansaid downwardly projecting annular flange, said disk having a pair ofvent openings extending through the portion of said disk between saiddownwardly projecting annular flange and said upwardly projectingcircular portion, substantially at diametrically opposite points, toprevent the development of a vacuum under said disk.

2. In combination, a paper cup having a downwardly taperedfrusto-conical side wall, a bottom wall closing the lower end of saidside wall but spaced upwardly from the lower end thereof to form arecess in the lower end of the cup, and a combination lid and stand forthe paper cup and comprising a circular disk having a depending annularflange around the periphery thereof and adapted to be received aroundthe upper end of the side wall of the paper cup, said disk having anupwardly projecting circular portion-snugly received and frictionallyretained in said recess in the lower end of the cup, said upwardlyprojecting circular portion being substantially smaller in diameter thansaid annular flange, said disk having first and second vent openingsextending through the portion of said disk between said annular flangeand said upwardly projecting circular portion, substantially atdiametrically opposite points, to prevent the development of a vacuumunder said disk.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

1. A COMBINATION LID AND STAND FOR A PAPER CUP OF THE TYPE HAVING ADOWNWARDLY TAPERING FRUSTO-CONICAL SIDE WALL CLOSED BY A BOTTOM WALLWHICH IS SPACED UPWARDLY FROM THE LOWER EDGE OF THE SIDE WALL SO AS TOFORM A RECESS IN THE BOTTOM OF THE PAPER CUP, SAID COMBINATION LID ANDSTAND COMPRISING A CIRCULAR DISK HAVING A DOWNWARDLY PROJECTING ANNULARFLANGE EXTENDING AROUND THE PERIPHERY THEREOF FOR SNUG RECEPTION AROUNDTHE UPPER END OF THE PAPER CUP, SAID DISK HAVING AN UPWARDLY PROJECTINGCIRCULAR PORTION FORMED THEREON FOR SNUG RECEPTION AND FRICTIONALRETENTION WITHIN THE RECESS IN THE LOWER END OF THE CUP, SAID UPWARDLYPROJECTING CIRCULAR PORTION BEING SUBSTANTIALLY SMALLER IN DIAMETER THANSAID DOWNWARDLY PROJECTING ANNULAR FLANGE, SAID DISK HAVING A PAIR OFVENT OPENINGS EXTENDING THROUGH THE PORTION OF SAID DISK BETWEEN SAIDDOWNWARDLY PROJECTING ANNULAR FLANGE AND SAID UPWARDLY PROJECTINGCIRCULAR PORTION, SUBSTANTIALLY AT DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSITE POINTS, TOPREVENT THE DEVELOPMENT OF A VACUUM UNDER SAID DISK.